But Kubiak found plenty to pick apart heading into this week's
game at Jacksonville, starting with the running game. Arian Foster
rushed for 79 yards, and Houston finished with just 83 rushing
yards overall. The Texans rushed for only 26 yards in the second
half after building a 24-3 halftime lead.

''That's the mark of a good team - you've got to run it and
finish the game,'' Kubiak said Monday. ''We didn't do that.''

The Texans ranked second in rushing offense last season (153
yards per game), then lost right tackle Eric Winston and right
guard Mike Brisiel in the offseason. Derek Newton made his first
NFL start at right tackle and Antoine Caldwell moved in at right
guard after only 13 total starts in the previous three years, but
Kubiak didn't single out those two for the faulty ground
attack.

''I'm looking at the big picture,'' Kubiak said. ''We didn't run
the ball well, whether we ran it right, left or up the middle. When
I'm talking to them (the linemen), I'm talking to all five of them.
I'm not talking about right or left.''

Houston also had issues on special teams. Trindon Holliday, who
made the team after returning three kicks for touchdowns in the
preseason, bobbled a kickoff and gained only 61 total yards on four
kick returns. Marcus Thigpen ran a punt back 72 yards for a
touchdown for Miami.

''We had to start (Monday) with that,'' Kubiak said. ''We did
not play well on special teams - we didn't cover well, we didn't
return well.''

Linebackers Mister Alexander and Whitney Mercilus among the
regulars who didn't see as much action on the coverage and return
teams in the preseason as normally would, so Kubiak could look at
other reserves.

''Throughout the course of the preseason, we did protect some of
those guys, when we were looking at young players,'' Kubiak said.
''It showed a little bit (Sunday). I don't think some of the key
guys on special teams were on top of their game. We didn't come out
of this game feeling very good about how we played. But we made the
corrections and hopefully, we're a lot better next week.''

Houston still won easily, because a lot of other things went
right.

The Texans were plus-7 in turnover ratio last season and scored
119 points off 27 takeaways. They picked up where they left off in
2011, turning four Miami turnovers into points in the second
quarter. Johnathan Joseph's interception set up Shayne Graham's
first field goal before the Texans claimed turnovers on three
straight Miami snaps. Defensive end J.J. Watt swatted Tannehill's
next two passes at the line, leading to interceptions and Danieal
Manning recovered Daniel Thomas' fumble.

''Once we got the turnover, I think we scored six out of seven
possessions,'' Kubiak said, ''so that's a darn good thing.''

Schaub completed 20 of 31 passes for 266 yards and looked
comfortable in his first game since fracturing his right Lisfranc
joint in Week 10 last season. And Schaub headed off any potential
off-the-field distraction on Saturday when he signed a 4-year
contract extension.

''I'm happy for him. It's good for the organization. It's good
for the football team,'' Kubiak said. ''We've got a fine player and
we got him locked up for a while. I'm happy for Matt and his
family. He wanted to be here. He wants to play here, so that's a
very positive step.''

Tight end Owen Daniels also had a solid opener, with four
catches for 87 yards. Johnson caught eight passes for 119 yards,
including a touchdown, and proved that he and Schaub have their
chemistry back.

''Andre, the last 10 days of camp, has really looked like the
Andre I remember from four or five years ago,'' Kubiak said. ''I'm
talking about from a work standpoint at practice. Andre is a guy
that needs to do it in practice to do it in a game. That's the way
he is. He had an excellent week last week and it showed in the
game.''

Kubiak said the five-time Pro Bowl receiver was on the field for
49 plays, and he and receivers coach Larry Kirksey may limit
Johnson's play count in upcoming games to ''keep him fresh.''

Linebacker Tim Dobbins, who left the opener with a neck injury,
ran with the team on Monday and is expected to return to practice
on Wednesday.

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